Garfield minus Garfield

Apologies if I’m the last person to discover this, but my favorite web site lately is Garfield minus Garfield — created by someone who figured out that sucky Garfield comics are actually pretty good when you get rid of the cat, dog and pretty much everything except Jon from the equation.

“Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?” the site explains. “Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.”

I didn’t think Garfield was funny even when I was 9 years old. But I didn’t actively hate the comic until I met Pearls Before Swine creator Stephan Pastis, who explained how impossible it is for new artists to get syndicated because so many bad comic strips telling the same three jokes are entrenched in the comics pages.

(The Chronicle routinely tries out strips by new artists, but many big papers are afraid to venture away from the Beetle Baileys and Funky Winkerbeans and Hagar the Horribles of the industry — some of which have long since been passed down to the creator’s children or another artist.)

Unlike its source material, Garfield minus Garfield actually makes me laugh. It’s also eerie and heartbreaking but also occasionally kind of sweet. Kind of. But it’s definitely not everyone’s thing. I’m also someone who gets a big laugh over the Nietzsche Family Circus.

If you don’t feel like browsing, a few favorites are here, here and here.

UPDATED! I’ve added a couple Lasagnacat.com videos, which are indeed sublime. Thanks for the link, staypuf!